Black Out Days
by LastDayOfMagic
Summary: Who does Elena seek out in her most dire moment? (Warning - spoilers to both finales. Probably a two-shot!)
1. Chapter 1

The sunny open highway stared her down as she left Mystic Falls, and while the weather was mismatched to her mood, she had to admit that it felt good to be alone. Scary, too, but Elena could finally _breathe._ After the near constant codependent hovering and grief circle of the last two weeks, she needed air. And it was time for her memorial to the man who played Clyde to her Bonnie. The obligatory road trip, with the empty seat beside her only ever to be filled by Damon.

Caroline had looked perturbed when Elena turned down her offer to be copilot. And Elena felt bad, honestly. Her lone remaining best friend probably needed the respite as much as she did, after both losing Bonnie and trying to hold Stefan up through the loss of his brother and Lexi. Something Elena would have helped with if she weren't incapacitated herself by the permanent absences of Damon and Bonnie. But this wasn't about girlfriends, and Elena needed to be alone with her thoughts. She needed to know if Damon was still near, wherever he'd ended up after the Other Side collapsed.

And Jeremy had his own concerns when she told him she was leaving for a few days, alone. Maybe all of this really wasn't over, he'd said - maybe someone was lurking in the shadows with a new malevolent agenda that they just didn't know about yet, ready to snatch his doppelgänger sister again. And she argued back that she just didn't care anymore. His eyes grew wide when she said it, and she could see the fear. He'd seen it all when she'd taken leave of her humanity, and she realized that now. Watching her self-destruction with no way to intervene had to be devastating. But she refused to take it back because it was the truth. She was numb. It was different than when she'd flipped the switch, though. She cared about everyone else - just not herself. She was ready, whenever her time came, and she wasn't going to actively avoid it.

Ric looked on as the siblings fought, arms crossed in concern but otherwise silent. He knew this wasn't how it was supposed to work out, and Elena imagined he blamed himself for making it through when his best friend didn't. This was meant to be their reunion too, and instead it had all gone pear-shaped. But she could never blame Ric. She would never wish for places to be traded. She was relieved, if nothing else, that most of the others were back where they belonged. And she needed to tell him that, when she could talk without getting choked up to the point that she couldn't speak. His physical presence alleviated some of her guilt, and she knew Damon would have never forgiven himself if Ric perished when the Other Side did. As selfish as he always proclaimed himself to be, he was actually the most selfless person she knew. He was just as much of a martyr as he accused her of being. Maybe that's why her repeated deathwishes annoyed him so much, because he would have done the same damn thing.

And he did.

The tears ran down her cheeks now, but none were brushed away as they had been that night in the cabin. Instead, the wind from the open car windows dried them, leaving behind tight saline trails on her skin.

"I love you," she whispered. "I forgot to tell you before you were gone, when Bonnie said you were there. But... I love you, Damon. You were it for me."

_And I'll do anything I can to bring you back, _she thought as she swallowed around the ache in her throat. Because while she'd never been one of those girls, their relationship was different. It wasn't just that she couldn't go on without him.

She wouldn't.

oOo

"The doorbell," Klaus grumbled as he passed through the parlor. "No one ever uses the doorbell. They either sneak in, or barge in, or..."

His voice trailed off but his irritability disrupted Elijah's train of thought. The three had been emotionally at odds last two weeks: Klaus usually annoyed and impatient, Hayley secluded by her own design. And Elijah himself? Highly sensitive to the nuances of shifts in their moods and committed to fixing it all. He was frustrated that they hadn't been able to join on a united front. Instead of drawing them together, to make this her rightful home, they were fractured apart by the separation from Hope. He drew in a deep breath, as everything he'd never wanted to see was coming to fruition. Hayley was now immortal, miserable, damned by their presence in her life and their failed promises to protect her. Any chance she'd had for a relatively normal quiet life had been stripped away the second she gave birth, virtually alone, in that church. At least Niklaus had made an effort - this was what he had been too upset to admit before the dust settled, when he'd walked in and saw her lifeless corpse cradled in his brother's arms. He couldn't fathom what had come to pass, and it was easiest to blame his brother in the moment than to recognize his own hand in failing her. And now, she was shutting him out. He'd never wish her dead, ever, but it was his penance and torture to watch her withdraw, her eyes dark and empty, the light gone.

He wearily rose from the sofa, taking his mother's grimoire with him. That was Elijah's new mission - to find a spell to eradicate their mother once and for all. It was the only solution he could find to lift this cursed cloud from over their home. He only hoped he would would succeed before the emotional damage became too permanent.

He stopped to tuck the grimoire into its safe before following his brother to the door. He too was intrigued as to who this guest was. The traditional custom of cordially announcing one's arrival had long gone by the wayside when it came to visitors at their home, likely because they were usually enemies.

But this face was that of his most unlikely ally, the other recent thorn in the impenetrable wall around his emotions. And as she gave the weakest smile that never reached her troubled eyes, Elijah could tell she was broken too. His breath caught in his throat, rendered momentarily speechless that she'd sought him out. He didn't notice his brother wordlessly glancing between them before stepping away. Klaus understood that this visit was not for him.

"Elena," he finally said.


	2. Chapter 2

"Elijah," she replied, finding her voice. Being in his presence again... she wasn't sure how she felt. It momentarily knocked the wind out of her, and it was ironic that Damon never trusted the Original to follow through, yet he was one of the few she still trusted to help her bring Damon back.

He looked alarmed that she'd shown up on his doorstep, though not unwelcoming. Just preoccupied. And now Elena was cursing herself for not calling or something. She hadn't come up with an alternative plan to this shot in the dark. Maybe surprise wasn't the best course of action. But she worried he would have blown her off or turned her away before she even left home. She shifted awkwardly as they sort of looked at each other, and she was glad Klaus had left their company.

"Come in," Elijah said, shaking his head as if he were emerging from a daze. "I just... I never anticipated seeing you here. Are you alone?"

His gaze shifted beyond her, expectant that a Salvatore brother bodyguard would emerge from the shadows, and that's when she had to force down the tears. She gave a half nod. "Yes."

But she hadn't been quick enough to recover, she realized, as his expression became bewildered. He moved toward her, stopping just short of a comforting touch but leaning close so that she couldn't avoid his gaze. His voice was low, genuinely concerned. "What's happened?"

She blinked furiously now, her voice a harsh whisper. "Damon's gone. He was trapped on the Other Side, with Bonnie, when it all collapsed. They're both gone."

Again, silent shock. Now she wondered how much he communicated with Klaus, because the hybrid had been well aware of the instability brewing. But of course, by all accounts, Damon was a completely unexpected casualty. And Elijah could see how it devastated her, as much as she struggled to hold it all together.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed, almost automatically. Elijah was then quiet as he worked to regain some semblance of decorum, and his tongue wet along his lower lip before he spoke again. "So... you've come seeking my help."

A certain resignation in his tone made her eyes dart up to meet his... was he disappointed? She noticed now that a previous flicker of anticipation in his eyes had burnt out and she began to feel vaguely ashamed as she nodded.

"I don't have anyone else to turn to," she said quietly. "I just thought... if there were a way to bring them both back, you would know of it." He started to look at the floor, and she caught his arm. Her touch forced his gaze to meet hers again. "And because I trust you," she added.

Instead of convinced, he just looked tired, and she let her hand fall away. She panicked inwardly that maybe she was alienating him more, by cementing his suggestion that she only ever sought him out for his help. Maybe she shouldn't have expected his assistance.

But, she thought to herself, their relationship always bordered between acquaintance and friendship to this point, a consensual mutually parasitic arrangement. They'd always come to the other for help that no one else could offer - or be trusted with. Why would it be different now? As much as they held an acute understanding of what made the other tick, they'd never reached a turning point - flirtations and awkward imposter kisses aside.

But apparently that was an erroneous assumption on her part. Apparently he'd hoped that she dropped by just to check in, catch up, though they'd never done anything of the sort before... and then it dawned on her. Maybe he was in the midst of his own turmoil at the moment. What she was eager to escape in Mystic Falls was precisely what he was lacking in New Orleans - a friend.

Maybe this was the turning point.

"You know what, let's just go," she said, pulling the keys from her purse.

"Excuse me?"

If they weren't both battling the world at the moment, Elena would have laughed at his startled expression. But maybe she needed this as much as him. The person to fall back on when she needed a time out, kind of what Lexi and Stefan had. God knew that Elijah had a stick up his ass. But she would be willing to bet that someday, she could get him to loosen that tie around his neck.

Aloud, she said, "I can tell you need to get away. Five minutes." He raised his eyebrows suspiciously, and she smiled. The first time she'd truly smiled in a few weeks. "Okay, a few hours. Just... trust me. You do trust me, right?"

He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled in a loud _whoosh_ as she waited for him to answer. "I do trust you," he relented.

That made her smile again. She knew it, deep down, but to get him to admit it aloud... Turning points, she reminded herself.

"Good. So... let's go."

She was surprised that she didn't have to plead or beg. Elijah just followed her out the door, as though he was beyond needing to breathe and he wasn't going to overthink this, no matter how unexpected the opportunity. Elena looked heavenward curiously as they stepped down the sidewalk to her car. Maybe Damon wouldn't be upset that she'd sought Elijah out. Maybe somewhere, he was behind this all?

(With his signature smirk, no doubt.)

* * *

a/n: Sorry so short... this is how the scenes have been presenting themselves!


End file.
